Concert notes: Maybe Randy Travis was just trying to sell tickets

(UPDATE: The Majestic folks said yesterday that the Nov. 18 show was still a go, although some presumably nervous phone calls were exchanged with Travis’ management).

Maybe you’ve heard — country legend Randy Travis was all over today’s Express-News. There on Page 2 of Weekender is a pensive, well-groomed Randy (right), chin resting on his ol’ guitar, in an ad touting a Nov. 18 concert in the Majestic Theatre as part of his 25th anniversary tour.

On today’s front page was a much different Randy — sporting a black eye in a police mugshot after his DWI arrest early yesterday in North Texas after he crashed his car. Presumably the police gave him some clothes before shooting the mugshot, since he was found naked in the middle of the road after the crash near his home in Tioga, northwest of Dallas.

Oh yeah. Tickets for the Nov. 18 show go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Ticketmaster outlets. Since Travis, usually credited (along with George Strait) with bringing real-deal country back in the mid-’80s, hasn’t been the hottest thing going lately, maybe this was some sort of bizarre publicity stunt designed to drum up business. What’s the old PR credo? Bad publicity is better than no publicity?

Uh, I don’t think so. Maybe it would work for a rock band that champions bad behavior, but I’m guessing country audiences are much less forgiving. Particularly for legacy acts not named Willie Nelson.

If Travis is smart, he’ll joke about it in public (“I learned a valuable lesson this year — when you’re drunk, don’ take your clothes off”) and get help in private.

The details of the incident, which came to light after Weekender went to press Wednesday afternoon, were certainly all over the place. I actually heard about it on “The Scott Van Pelt Show” on sports-talk radio (ESPN 1250 AM). When the sports-talk guys interrupt their discussion of NFL camps and weird Olympic sports to talk about a country star’s misfortunes, you know everyone is talking about it.

Van Pelt said that, while he believes in the concept of innocent until proven guilty, he’s throwing that out in Travis’ case. “If you’re lying naked in the middle of the road, you’re hammered,” he said. Or words to that effect.

He didn’t mention that Travis reportedly tried to buy cigarettes naked at a convenience store before the crash. Again, that’s something you generally don’t do sober. Or so I’m told.